Polar Opposites
by DonaldDouglasandToby6
Summary: Daisy the Diesel rail-car thinks all the female engines should be like her, but Rosie says otherwise.


Rosie is a tomboy engine, and she never cares if she gets dirty.

Daisy, on the other hand, is completely different.

She hates getting dirty, and although she pulls cargo along with her passengers sometimes, she still thinks they are smelly trucks.

The two engines are practically polar opposites.

It had been a busy day for Rosie at the Coaling Plant; a large shipment had been due for the Culdee Fell Railway, and Rosie and Molly had to work hard, shunting trucks and taking them up to Kirk Machan.

While Rosie did get to meet the Culdee Fell engines, her wheels were aching by the time sunset came around, and she was covered from smokebox to cab in coal dust.

"I have to go back to the Ffarquhar Branch Line, now Molly." Rosie said cheerfully, "But I should come again soon."

"I hope you do," said Molly, "It can sometimes get lonely up here, by myself. But do go safely home."

"It's alright, Molly." grinned Rosie, "I have a permanent lamp." and the pink engine puffed away.

Rosie didn't bother getting a washdown as she headed home.

"It'd take too much time," she muttered.

Still covered in coal dust, Rosie puffed into Ffarquhar, her light beaming through the darkness.

Toby and Daisy were the only ones in the shed; Thomas and Percy had the mail train, and Emily was taking a night passenger run on the Main Line.

"Hello everyone!" puffed Rosie as she chuffed to the turntable.

Daisy scowled at the sight of Rosie.

"Why are you so... dirty?! You look disgraceful!" Daisy said.

Toby hushed her, but Rosie just grinned.

"I like being dirty. Is that a problem, Daisy?"

"Yes, thank you very much. Females are supposed to be clean, stylish, and not look like a pig!" Daisy scowled.

"Daisy!" said Toby crossly, "That will do!"

"Oh, it's alright, Toby. I'm used to this." Rosie chuckled as she puffed alongside Daisy in the Carriage Shed.

"What the heck are you doing?! Get away from me!" Daisy winced.

Rosie giggled.

"Afraid of coal dust, Daisy? Oh no, I just remembered... I have coal dust clogged in my whistle."

"Wait..." Daisy started, but she never finished.

Before anyone could say anything else, Rosie blew her whistle, spraying coal dust all over Daisy.

All of Daisy's paintwork was smudged with a layer of black.

"You cheek!" scowled Daisy, "I need a washdown this instant!"

Toby was trying not laugh.

"You can't get a washdown Daisy. Not unless you want to pull the Mail Train." Toby chuckled.

Daisy glared at Toby, then at Rosie.

"You're despicable." Daisy muttered.

Rosie chuckled as Daisy went to sleep, trying to ignore the fact she was covered in coal dust.

Daisy woke up the next morning, shuddering.

"Driver, please get me cleaned!" she begged as she saw her driver walking up to her, "I can't stand being like this!"

But Thomas and Percy had come back from their mail train, and couldn't resist finding Daisy's situation amusing.

"What's wrong, Daisy? Did you work at the Coaling Plant?" Percy teased.

Daisy was fuming.

"Rubbish! This cheek here, Rosie, blew coal dust all over me!"

But Thomas and Percy just laughed harder.

"I didn't know you liked coal!" chortled Thomas.

"Should we repaint you black?" grinned Percy.

Daisy glared at the tank engines.

"Toby, make them stop, will you?" she huffed.

But Toby was still asleep.

"Heavy sleeper." muttered Daisy.

The driver sighed and walked into the rail-car.

"Not now, Daisy." said her driver sternly, "We're to take workmen up to Ffarquhar Quarry. Fat Controller's orders."

Daisy's face fell.

"And let me guess... Toby will take my passengers?"

"Lucky guess." sneered her driver as he started her engine.

Daisy scowled as she swore she could hear Rosie giggling as she rolled onto the turntable.

At the platform, several workmen with toolboxes and lunch bags climbed into the Diesel rail-car.

Daisy just grumbled as she scuttled away towards the quarry.

At the quarry, Mavis was biffing trucks of stone.

"Hey, no fair!" fumed the trucks.

Mavis chuckled, then rolled backwards.

She cocked an eyebrow as Daisy arrived with the workmen.

"Here you go. Now leave." Daisy fumed as the workmen, shaking their heads, exited.

"Why are you in such a bad mood, Daisy?" asked Mavis.

Daisy just snorted.

"First I get covered in coal dust, now I have to go work at a quarry!"

Mavis grinned.

"Come now, it's not so bad. It's fun!" and Mavis biffed the trucks of stone again, causing stone dust to cover Daisy.

"Oooh, Mavis, why?!" the rail-car scowled.

Mavis looked back and gulped.

"...whoops..."

"Oh, if I could, I'd bash you into those trucks!"

Mavis chuckled sheepishly.

"I wouldn't really care, being honest. Being dirty isn't a concern for me."

Daisy's jaw dropped.

"What's so weird about that?" asked Mavis.

"But... you're a female! Why can't everyone just be like me!?" Daisy complained as she started backwards back to Ffarquhar.

Mavis frowned and rolled her eyes.

"Typical Daisy..." she muttered.

In the afternoon, Rosie puffed into the Coaling Plant again, but unlike the day before, she looked cross.

Molly was shunting some trucks when she noticed Rosie arriving.

"Hello Rosie!" said Molly, "What's wrong?"

"It's Daisy! She can't learn to accept that not all females are like she is! I just want to put her in her place!" Rosie grumbled.

Molly frowned.

"Oh my..." she said quietly, "She teased me last week for being dirty..."

"I know." sighed Rosie, "I just want her to at least accept that not all engines have to be like her."

Molly thought for a moment about the situation.

"Well... I don't like doing this, but I think it'd be best to confront her." the yellow engine said gravely.

Rosie smirked.

"Yes, that'll show her! I'll do it tonight."

"...just be careful." Molly said worriedly, "You could easily set Daisy off."

But Rosie didn't reply as she started shunting trucks.

"I hope nothing bad happens." Molly muttered.

Daisy was getting a hosedown at the shed.

"Hurry up, I must look clean for tomorrow!" Daisy said huffily.

"Like always?" snorted Thomas.

Daisy scowled.

"You wouldn't understand; you have coaches. I only have myself to pull passengers."

"True, but Annie and Clarabel aren't always the cleanest." Thomas said.

"Exactly."

Thomas sighed and puffed away to collect his mail train.

Just then, Rosie puffed up.

"Oh, hello Rosie. Nice to see you so dirty. Sleep in Percy's berth so you don't get dust all over me."

Rosie scowled as she puffed alongside Daisy.

"What did I just say?!" fumed Daisy angrily.

"At this point, I could care less what you think. You judge engines solely on their appearances." Rosie huffed, "So what if I don't mind being dirty? Not everyone is the same, just like how not all male engines are the same! Thomas works with passengers and Percy works with goods!"

Daisy was slightly stunned by Rosie's assertive statement, but quickly thought up a response.

"But females are supposed to be clean and pretty-"

"That's just a stereotype!" interrupted the pink tank engine, "And just because you don't fit a stupid stereotype doesn't mean you should change! Look at all the female engines we have on Sodor; are any of them as vain as you are? No! Do any of them care about being clean? No, because that doesn't matter!"

Daisy was taken aback; she didn't expect Rosie to stand up for herself like that.

"You've got some words in your mouth." Daisy muttered.

"At least I know what is right."

Daisy scowled and tried to find Toby, but then remembered he was working with Mavis at the quarry.

"Great, I'm stuck with her." Daisy muttered.

She looked back at the cross tank engine.

"Are you going to be stubborn again and ignore me?' scoffed Rosie.

Daisy looked down at her buffers.

She was deep in thought about what Rosie had said.

"Pfft... Rosie can't be right... Can she?"

She thought about all the female engines there were on the island; all of them didn't care about getting dirty, and all didn't fit into her own ideas.

"...well... That's because... They're silly..." Daisy thought, but a hard thought struck her.

"...maybe... I'm the one who's silly. Maybe... maybe the little engine does have a point." she thought, "It's hard for everyone to be the same..."

Just then, a familiar whistle echoed through the yard.

Daisy looked up, and saw Emily puffing into Ffarquhar with her coaches, her light beaming a ways in front of her.

The Diesel rail-car couldn't help noticing Emily's paint was dusty.

Rosie was still glaring at her, when she noticed something odd; Daisy was now smiling warmly at her.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, dear Rosie. I suppose you are indeed right. Not all females have to be the same to be useful. They can be a tomboy, like you. I shouldn't have tried to force engines to be someone they're not."

Rosie cocked an eyebrow, but, when noticing that she was serious, broke into a wide smile.

"Thanks Daisy. I really appreciate that."

"Well, respect is a nice thing to give, isn't it?"

Rosie chuckled.

"Indeed, it is."

"Now, let's get some rest. Shall we?"

"Good idea." said Rosie sleepily as she closed her eyes.

From Ffarquhar, Emily had seen everything and was slightly surprised.

"Who would've guessed that...?" she murmured to herself.

The next day, Daisy purred into Knapford Station with her passengers.

As the passengers disembarked, Daisy looked over and saw Molly with some coal trucks on a siding.

At the siding, Molly couldn't help but feel that she was being watched.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" Molly asked worriedly.

Daisy honked her horn to show she was there.

But the loud horn made Molly jump nervously.

The yellow engine looked back to find the rail-car at the platform.

She glared angrily at Daisy.

"What do you want?" she huffed, "To make fun of me some more?"

Daisy winced as she remembered that she probably would've if Rosie hadn't talked to her last night.

She considered her words carefully.

"I'm sorry, Molly." said Daisy quietly, "I shouldn't have judged you like that. Can you forgive me?"

Molly could hardly believe what she was hearing.

"Is... that true?" she asked in surprise.

"Count on it." said Daisy confidently.

Molly grinned and started to steam away.

"Thank you Daisy and I easily forgive you!" she called as she puffed back to the Coaling Plant.

Just as Molly left, Rosie puffed alongside Daisy with some trucks of lumber.

"Hello Daisy." said Rosie cheerily, "How does it feel to be positive about appearances?"

"It feels simply divine! Before I head back down the line, thank you for making me see sense, Rosie."

Daisy honked her horn, and she started to rumble away, just as Thomas arrived with Annie and Clarabel.

"Hello, Thomas!" Daisy said cheerfully as she oiled out of sight.

Thomas was confused as he puffed into the station.

"Rosie, what exactly did you do last night?" he asked.

"Oh, I just made Daisy feel better." Rosie chuckled.

Thomas couldn't help but grin.

"I say, you work like a wizard." he commented.

"I try." Rosie joked and the two tank engines laughed.

Rosie, in particular, felt happy that Daisy would learn not be a prejudiced engine.


End file.
